The Rest of the Story

 Today I am thinking about Paul Harvey. "....and now you know the rest of the story."

This time of year millions of people focus on the beginning of a wonderful story. I hope that people remember what happened next.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

But the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

He existed in the form of God, and did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men.

He was born of a virgin and laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Wise men and shepherds came to the Baby, following a star that they may pay Him honor.

This is the miraculous, yet humble beginning to a story of important consequence- the conclusions of which we must not let be overshadowed by its beginning.

He existed in the form of God, but was born in the likeness of men. He was a Baby, but then He grew.

He preached to His own, but He was rejected. He healed and cast out demons, but was threatened with death. He taught and travelled with His apostles, but was betrayed by one and arrested. Another followed but denied even knowing Him three times.

He was mocked, beaten, condemned and murdered, but He had done no wrong. His people were given the choice to spare Jesus the Innocent or Barabbas the Murderer, but they chose Barabbas.

He could have saved Himself, but He died a cruel, painful, and humiliating death on a cross, choosing instead to suffer for the unjust. He died, but three days later He rose again. He dwelled with His disciples forty days, but then He rose again to the right hand of God, all authority in Heaven and earth being given to Him.

It's great to think about the miraculous birth of our Lord and all that it means to us, but don't let the season distract you from the rest of the story. He is still there at the right hand of God; our Intercessor and Mediator, our Savior- and someday He will return.

Paul delivers to us the same gospel that he received: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day..."

He was born that He may live a perfect life. He lived a perfect life that He may die a perfect sacrifice. He died that He may live again, and that we may have new life in Him. He was raised from the dead that He may ascend to the right hand of the Father, and He ascended that He may return.

We must be careful that in our remembrance of beginnings we do not forget today, and the best thing to be done today is to remember that someday there will be an end to the story.

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